The revamped Mizuno Wave Horizon 4 follows in the footsteps of its Wave Sky 3 neutral counterpart and incorporates a variant of the novel XPOP and Foam Wave technologies for progressive pronation correction. It leaves behind the iconic Wave plate (still used by its little sister Wave Inspire 16) for a less intrusive and softer solution, a risky bet to reach more runners but that may make it lose the unconditional fans of the Japanese brand. In addition, the weight reduction of about 6% surely also influences its dynamic behavior.
It is a detail that from Mizuno have decided to continue with the same commercial name to be able to easily locate their shoes because the renewal with respect to its theoretical predecessor Wave Horizon 3 is complete. The upper is much cleaner and features a modern and attractive design, shying away from the traditional "almost orthopedic" (with all due respect, of course) pronator shoe image. The gussets to keep everything in place integrate seamlessly with the mesh patterns while keeping both the tongue and collar around the ankle nicely cushioned for comfort that lives up to the in-store price.
The midsole is the big novelty of the Wave Horizon 4 and features a familiar structure where the upper is the lighter and softer U4ic™, while the bottom is the firmer U4icX™, a usual solution in the Japanese brand's sneakers. What changes is the central part, with the new XPOP compound combined with a firmer density in the inner part to offer progressive pronation correction. The outsole also abandons the typical Mizuno configuration and incorporates more flex grooves in the forefoot for a smoother transition.
